(The Guardian) Trump might be back, but split-ticket voters limited Democratic losses in historic election
Democrats have been described as heading for the political wilderness after voters nationwide rejected Kamala Harris on Tuesday and voted out enough of the party’s senators to return the GOP to the majority in the chamber. Donald Trump’s allies believe they are course to again control the House, though ballot counting in key races is ongoing.
But Democrats were saved from an even-worse wipeout by split-ticket voters across swing states who supported the party’s down-ballot candidates even while rejecting Harris. Consider the following races that the Associated Press has called:
--North Carolina voters gave Trump 51.1% of the vote, but backed Democratic attorney Josh Stein for governor over Mark Robinson, the lieutenant-governor who once called himself a “black Nazi”.
--Michigan voters broke for Trump with 49.8% of the vote, but also narrowly elected Democrat Elissa Slotkin to the Senate with 48.6% of the vote over her challenger Mike Rogers’s 48.3%.
--It was a bit more comfortable for Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, a state Trump won with 49.7% of the vote. Baldwin won re-election with 49.4% support, over Republican Eric Hovde’s 48.5%.
The AP has not yet called the outcomes of the presidential or Senate races in Arizona and Nevada. Trump appears likely to win both states, though Democratic Senate candidates Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Jacky Rosen in Nevada both seem poised for victory. Jon Ralston, the authoritative Nevada political analyst, has a look at how split-ticket voters are making the difference for Rosen in that state:
The one swing state where the GOP appears to be about to gain a Senate seat is Pennsylvania. The state went to Trump, but the AP has not called its Senate race, where Democratic incumbent Bob Casey is narrowly behind his Republican challenger, David McCormick, in ballots that have been counted so far.
Democrats have been described as heading for the political wilderness after voters nationwide rejected Kamala Harris on Tuesday and voted out enough of the party’s senators to return the GOP to the majority in the chamber. Donald Trump’s allies believe they are course to again control the House, though ballot counting in key races is ongoing.
But Democrats were saved from an even-worse wipeout by split-ticket voters across swing states who supported the party’s down-ballot candidates even while rejecting Harris. Consider the following races that the Associated Press has called:
--North Carolina voters gave Trump 51.1% of the vote, but backed Democratic attorney Josh Stein for governor over Mark Robinson, the lieutenant-governor who once called himself a “black Nazi”.
--Michigan voters broke for Trump with 49.8% of the vote, but also narrowly elected Democrat Elissa Slotkin to the Senate with 48.6% of the vote over her challenger Mike Rogers’s 48.3%.
--It was a bit more comfortable for Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, a state Trump won with 49.7% of the vote. Baldwin won re-election with 49.4% support, over Republican Eric Hovde’s 48.5%.
The AP has not yet called the outcomes of the presidential or Senate races in Arizona and Nevada. Trump appears likely to win both states, though Democratic Senate candidates Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Jacky Rosen in Nevada both seem poised for victory. Jon Ralston, the authoritative Nevada political analyst, has a look at how split-ticket voters are making the difference for Rosen in that state:
The one swing state where the GOP appears to be about to gain a Senate seat is Pennsylvania. The state went to Trump, but the AP has not called its Senate race, where Democratic incumbent Bob Casey is narrowly behind his Republican challenger, David McCormick, in ballots that have been counted so far.
